Leading up to the Scooterist Weekender in Cologne today, Rimini Lambretta Centre – Casa Performance have been teasing about a big reveal at about
3pm local time. That is still to come, but with the ScooterNova stall located next to our friends at RLC we couldn’t fail to notice a couple of special products they were displaying for the first time. Whether you’re a classic Lambretta rider or not, who can’t get even a little excited about a liquid-cooled twin-cylinder engine?
Back in the 1960s Innocenti themselves prototyped a twin-cylinder Lambretta that sadly never made it into production. They rode lovely mind you!
The Targa Twin engine, based on the Innocenti original design but with a few alterations was put into small batch production by Tino Sacchi in the early 2000s. However as far back as 2016 Casa Performance have been threatening to produce an all-singing and dancing performance twin to blow others out of the water. The image above was released back in 2016 around the time they announced their SST engine, while I was working on the Casa Lambretta catalogue.
At the Scooterist Weekender this morning a brand new CP engine was unveiled. Boasting two Motori seven KZ kart cylinders, total capacity of 250cc, and breathing through two Dellorto 28mm carbs, this engine is designed to fit into a normal Lambretta Series 1, 2 or 3 chassis with only minimal trimming of the rear running boards required. (Note exhaust pipes fitted for the launch are not the final design – they are simply there to run the engine on the stand).
The motor is liquid-cooled and on display with a hydraulic rear disc brake and utilises other Casa components such as the Octopus rear hub and side case.
After years of design, this engine was only assembled shortly before the show. Serious testing has yet to begin so no production date has been set but it is hoped to be later in 2023. And only a limited number will be produced.
As for what it sounds like – we’ll tell you at 3pm (cet)!
****click here for a video of the new engine in action****
RLC also presented their 333cc Sledgehammer engine. With reed valve induction and plenty of cooling, this has been designed for touring rather than top speed performance in mind and the price is likely to be along the lines of their SST engines.
Testing of the Sledgehammer has been underway for some time now and they hope to enter production in late 2022.
Of course all this and more will be published in the next edition of ScooterNova magazine, so why not subscribe today and have it delivered direct to your door when it’s published.
ScooterNova magazine is an independent title published bi-monthly in the UK. Available from all good scooter shops or buy directly online via this link.